


Maestro

by bluemisfortune



Series: Dream Eater AU [4]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: Alternate Universe, Sharing a Body
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-12-10 08:52:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11688246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluemisfortune/pseuds/bluemisfortune
Summary: Too many conductors can easily spoil a perfectly good symphony. Vector has all his players in the right place, building to a perfect crescendo. So, naturally, any other Maestros have to go.





	Maestro

**Author's Note:**

> Another bit of the Dream Eater au (I can no longer tell if that's named after Astral or Vector). Features some violence, although not particularly graphic, also Vector's continued highly implied (not so implied) cannibalism although that's along the same vein as canon anyway. Also the Achtelnote twins who are from the source material that inspired this entire thing and were honestly some of my favourite villains.

 Thomas has come a long way in the ten years he’s been Vector’s vessel.

 Vector had all but starved the first few months. Despite Thomas knowing he was a vessel, allowing Vector control a lot of the time, Vector didn’t want to risk hunting with him. Human food could only sustain him for so long before his stomach became an empty pit and he’d had to risk it before he was driven to insanity by hunger.

 He’d told Thomas it was to stop bad Dream. Nightmares. That he was going to protect Humans. And for a while he did. He hunted down those he knew were abusing their position. He was meticulous with his hunting. But hunting villainous Dreams, people similar to himself, put Thomas in danger. Vector could only do so much to protect a child and more often than not Thomas ended up in his arms as he hunted. Little more than a handicap to even the playing field. Vector was a class of Dream that stood above all others, after all.

 Terrified as the child had been, now Vector looks back, it was the best thing for him. Thomas had learnt the Dream World from a young age, knew how to hunt and fight and quickly grew desensitised. The screams quickly died down when new horrors appeared in front of him. He sat silently as Vector put him down and gorged himself.

 

 Now Thomas is an adult near enough. He knows Vector hunts for sport and to fill this ever aching hole in his stomach. With his experience and training from both Vector and Durbe, Thomas seems as comfortable in a Daydream as any Dream. As if he can truly walk between worlds. Vector couldn’t be prouder of his little vessel. He follows Thomas into a hunt without question. He's not afraid.

 “Protect the Humans for me, Durbie,” Vector calls, stalking off across the yard. Not that Thomas needs protecting, he thinks, this won't take long. He grins up at the blonde woman above him, licking his lips as he stomach aches. “I’m hungry.”

 “You’re always hungry,” Durbe mutters.

 Thomas is holding Chris’ unconscious body in his lap, gazing around at the Dream’s realm. It’s a shame Chris and Durbe had been with them when they were dragged into the Daydream. Vector hadn’t actually been looking to hunt. It was one of the few times Thomas had been in control of his own body, having a meal out with Chris.

 “This is so cool,” Thomas laughs. “It’s like a concert hall. Like an orchestra.”

 “In that case, I’ll just have to make sure there’s no encore,” Vector sneers.

 “That was terrible,” Durbe mutters.

 “Quiet, both of you.”

 

 “Oh, yes,” the woman says, glaring down at them from her perch on some black blob-thing. “Please, do be quiet all of you. Your voices, your heartbeats, the sound of your breaths, the rustle of your clothes. Every little noise you simpletons make in my presence is painful to my ears.” She sighs, curls bouncing around her face as she directs a strange hand-puppet to point at them as the black blob is split open by a grin. “It’s ‘ _Maestro_ ’.”

 “‘ _Maestro_ ’,” Durbe says calmly, book appearing in his hand and opening itself, a blow glow from the pages lighting up Durbe's face as the book writes itself. “Achtelnote. Ability, Score. Manipulation of the orchestra.”

 “That’s this entire place,” Thomas says.

 “That’s right,” Durbe says, glancing back with a small smile. “This entire place would become their weapon.” Vector glares at the pair as Thomas smiles back Durbe. “And, what exactly is it you want here, Achtelnote? It’s unusual for such a low level dream to target a Dream Lord. What are you doing here?”

 “So much noise,” Achtelnote sighs, floating passed them on her strange creature. “It was never the plan to go after Dream Lords, simply to crush such pitiful Human dreams. To take Human dream and squish them, and crunch them, and mince them and roll them up into cute little notes to be added to this realm’s score.” She giggles and kisses a note in her hand. “Dream Lords and their vessels will make such beautiful notes. Perhaps it’s time for new Dream Lords anyway. The Dream World is dying. Things and changing. Time for a change of key too.”

 “Are you going to be making music puns the entire time?” Thomas sighs.

 “Enough chatter,” Vector sneers. “I wasn’t looking for a meal but you’ve got my juices flowing. Time to feast!”

 “Urgh, that noise,” she snaps, directing her puppet once more. “It hurts my ears! Just be quiet and die! Score - Note!”

 

 Vector’s wings ruffle as lines of music spread across the air and more black blobs with various terrifying faces fall from them. Well, now he gets what the thing she’s sitting on is; a creepy, living musical note. He supposes that makes the hand puppet waving a bass clef around a conductor. Vector dances through the notes, not even having to use his wings just bouncing from one note to the other, completely ignoring their gaping jaws.

 “How crude, destroying my cute notes like that.” Achtelnote wrinkles her nose and Vector sneers back, spreading his wings and hovering at her level. “Isn’t it kind of arrogant of you to be acting like I’ve done something wrong when you Dream Lords and even King Nasch have abandoned your posts?”

 “Now you’ve done a bad thing,” Vector laughs. “Uttering his name and mine in the same breath, I just can’t forgive you for that!”

 He twists, wings wrapping around him into a razor sharp drill and piercing straight through the disgusting note, sending Achtelnote tumbling to the ground. But, not before Vector can kick away her stupid puppet.

 “Now you can’t use that stupid attack of yours,” Vector hisses. “Prepare yourself. This is the end of the line for you.”

 He throws his weight backwards, driving into another spiral with his wings around him, aiming straight at her chest. She’s not even worth the effort of making her suffer. He’s going to just have his fill and leave her to Nasch. He can sense him around. He can’t spot him with a quick glance around but he knows he’s here.

 

 “Vector!”

 “Score - Appassio!”

 A wall of sound hits him and Vector is thrown across the yard, throwing out his wings to slow him down as he skids to a stop. Achtelnote hadn’t moved. She’s just lying there. Thomas must have seen something to call out to him but she hadn’t moved or spoken. How had she-

 “My name is Achtelnote.”

 Two voices? The dust clears and Vector straightens up. Two of them. A second one. This one with curls down to her chest. They’re sitting together on a pair of grinning notes, matching puppets posing together, batons forming a love heart together.

 “And as you can see, we’re twin Nightmares!”

 “I really hate twins,” Vector hisses, turning to glare at Durbe. “I could have used that information earlier.”

 “I apologise,” Durbe says, although Vector is sure he’s smirking. “I assumed you figured it out when I said their. And beyond that, this is your hunt, is it not? I know how much you hate people interfering.”

 “How silly, don’t you think, Aeolia?” the first giggles.

 “To run in without knowing your enemy, Ionia,” the second agrees.

 “Simpletons,” they say, puppets pointing down at them.

 Vector laughs and shakes his head, ruffling his wings. “Sure, sure. A simpleton who thinks with his stomach. And right now, I’m seeing double helpings.”

 “What will we do, Aeolia?”

 “What will we do, Ionia?”

 “Ah, we know!”

 The long haired one - Vector thinks that’s Ionia but he really doesn’t care - jumps off her note and straight over his head, landing just in front of Durbe, who puts himself protectively in front of the Humans.

 “Hey-”

 “Score - Staccato Note!” Strings wrap around Vector’s arms, jerking him back around to face Aeolia. He thinks. She smiles and her puppet wags a finger at him. “Sorry, but I rather like having you all to myself.”

 “Sorry, sweetheart, I’m just not into you like that,” Vector sneers. “Durbe! If my Human gets hurt, I get to have a nice chunk out of you.”

 “What kind of insipid Dream do you think I am?” Durbe says. “As if I would lose to some Baroque composure fantasy.”

 “I can protect myself!” Thomas snaps.

 “Focus on Chris,” he says firmly. “Keep him safe, I’ll protect the both of you.”

 “Baroque composure fantasy?” Ionia snaps.

 

 Vector turns away. Durbe will manage. He’d be horribly disappointed if Durbe lost. But these twins are stronger than he expected. They’re actually worth killing.

 The notes fire at him and Vector tears through them like they’re nothing. They might as well be. Vector is focused only on the hunt. On the Dream in front of him. It’s a testament to his trust in Durbe and his vessel’s power that he doesn’t even need to look back. Even when it sounds like they’re in trouble, Vector trusts. For one moment in his life he actually trusts.

 “You really have some nerves, making me listen to this racket,” Aeolia hisses, a huge brass section, pushing him back with a wall of sound. They’re actually pushing him. Stronger and stronger Dreams are coming through. This isn’t at all what he thought would happen when he entered this realm. “Things that make annoying noises need tuning.”

 “I hope your screams are pleasing then- oh.” He throws his weight back, flipping backwards over one of the giant trumpets and catching a sword from midair. He lands next to Durbe just as Thomas taps into their realm, using the strings to form a protective barrier in front of him and Chris. He really is good at manipulating the world around him. Vector’s so proud of him. “You dropped this, Books.”

 “Stop calling me that,” Durbe replies, taking his sword and slashing back.

 Vector ducks and Durbe’s blade tears through the note coming at them from behind. How rude. He sneers, leaning in and brushing Durbe’s left arm; the cool silver beneath his fingertips, studded with beautiful blue gems. Light blue energy pulses under the surface of the metal, just visible beneath the seams and joints. Durbe’s library wasn’t the only reason he’d dragged Durbe into this world. A weapon like that, it was better he had control of it than risk Durbe turning it against him. Durbe is passive and quiet most the time, but he has power capable of challenging Nasch. When the time comes, Vector is going to turn that power on Nasch. Eventually.

 “Someone’s getting ratty, Durbie,” he purrs, leaning close. “You could finish it all-”

 Durbe shoves his face away and turns back to the twins. One is regenerating the arm Durbe had sliced off and the other is pulling her glove off with her teeth. Their arms grow, twisting into black clawed limbs, wrapped in scores. How unpleasant.

 “Our next song is simple,” one says.

 “Even simpletons like you can understand,” the other agrees.

 “You just have to die! Score - Grave!”

 

 Thomas lifts the string shield as Durbe and Vector jump aside, avoiding the bombardment of notes, sending rubble flying. Vector growls and goes straight for the short haired Maestro, claws extending and driving straight through her chest.

 “Aeoli- _ah_!”

 Vector jerks his hand back, glancing over to see see Durbe’s sword sticking through the other one’s ribs, and watches her crumple to the floor. Durbe steps away, blood slipping off his sword as he walks away. Thomas smiles and lowers his string shield.

 “Job done,” Thomas laughs. “You guys were both so cool.”

 “Hurry up and eat,” Durbe hisses. “Disgusting creature.”

 Vector glares for a moment as Durbe returns to Thomas and Chris, petting Thomas’ hair and praising him softly. And Thomas is annoyingly enamoured by the praise. As if it’s a big deal. Vector will tell him what a good job he’d done later and Thomas will go all sparkly eyed over him and forget all about Durbe.

 “Score - Pause.”

 Vector jumped back as the girls’ claws lunge for him once more and they’re regenerating again. Oh, he _hates_ twins!

 “Just what do we have to do to kill those two?” Thomas hisses.

 

 Just as Vector’s preparing to really let rip - to simply destroy this poxy realm and drag them into his own where he’ll be able to do as he pleases - the bands around them go silent. Everything goes eerily silent. The twins scamper back as far as they can, grasping at each other as quiet footsteps echo around the realm. The only sound in the world.

 

 Nasch strides out the darkness, stepping down the bandstands in the still, silent air. His cape billows around him, crown glinting in the light, reflecting the world around him as he steps down onto the floor. The girls scramble back away from him, mouths moving helplessly as Nasch approaches. His highness really is an intimidating presence. Durbe has Thomas and Chris close behind him, watching his old friend warily. The Achtelnote twins are crying silently, staring up at Nasch as he stops before them. Not even Vector says moves. Nasch is King for a reason. Vector has lost to him before and he’s not going to try again in this position. Not yet. Not until it’s on his terms.

 “‘ _Maestro_ ’ Aeolia and Ionia Achtelnote,” Nasch says, voice booming across the silent field. “You have broken the laws of our world and attempted to force your way through to the Human World. You have been killing Dreams maliciously.” They shake their heads and Nasch’s eyes narrow. “Without the gatekeeper in place, I can’t send you back. Therefore I have no other option but to hand out my own punishment.”

 Light rains from the sky and Vector darts forward, grabbing one of the twins by a handful of hair and tearing her away from her twin. He doesn’t like his meals frazzled. With Nasch on the field, she can’t regenerate. Vector shoves her to the ground, wings twisting into blades and plunging down, letting her life force flow. The light fades and Nasch’s footsteps away moving away again, but Vector doesn’t care, he’s too busy stating his hunger, even when the Dream’s screams start to echo around his ears again. She’s too far gone. She can’t stop him.

 “I wouldn’t be here if I had a choice,” Durbe says quietly. “But I’m afraid this is the way it has to be.”

 Vector glances up. Nasch steps away from Durbe with a single nod. His gun glows. Does he really think that stands a chance of killing him? Nasch glances at him over his shoulder and Vector grins back. After a few moment, Nasch vanishes and Rio follows. Typical Nasch turns up, ruins his meal and then pisses off. Asshole. No wonder Vector hates him.

 

 “What do Dreams taste like?” Thomas says as Vector gets up.

 “Take a bite of Durbe and find out,” Vector says. “I promise you he’s a rare treat. Beyond delicious.”

 Durbe scowls at Thomas before sighing and beckoning him closer. Vector watches curiously, not entirely sure what Durbe plans to do. He’d been teasing. What’s Durbe up to now? Thomas steps closer to Durbe and stops just in front of him.

 “What are you up to with vessel, Durbe? Don’t forget who you belong to.”

 “I don’t belong to anyone, Vector,” Durbe replies, tilting Thomas’ chin. “And I’m just giving Thomas what you asked me to.” He smiles and leans in. “Just a little taste.”

 Thomas’ face goes red and Vector isn’t letting that happen!

 

 He pulls back out the Daydream and they’re sitting in a cafe once more, possessing Thomas and Chris’ bodies again. Vector narrows his eyes and Durbe.

 “You’re not doing that,” Vector hisses.

 “Not doing what?” Durbe smiles, tucking Chris’ hair back behind his ear. “I wasn’t aware I’d done anything you hadn’t asked me to do.”

 “Oh please, like I don’t know you’re trying to make me jealous.”

 “Why would I want that?”

 “Please. You want me bad. You just can’t help yourself. That’s why you’re still here.”

 Durbe rolls his eyes. “I’m here because the life of my vessel, myself and your vessel depends on it. You asked me to let him see what a Dream tasted like, didn’t you?”

 “You’re not fooling anyone,” Vector hisses. “You can’t do things like that with him-”

 “Things like what?” Chris eyes, eyes returning to blue. “With who?”

 Vector frowns, playing with his drink. “Nothing. Don’t worry. Doesn’t matter. Stop spacing out.”

 “Are you really jealous just because Durbe was gonna kiss me?” Thomas laughs in the back of his mind. “Jealous because he was gonna kiss me? Or because I was gonna kiss him? Or both? Are you that possessive?”

 Vector scowls down at his coffee. The fact that he knows what Durbe’s like makes him very concerned. ‘ _Innocence_ ’. That was Durbe’s name for a reason. Not just an unassuming troublemaker. Durbe is so much more. He can only hope he'll get to bring out that other side of him soon. He's worked too hard to bring everything together. He won't let Durbe screw it up now. Durbe has his own role to play after all.

 That’s alright, though. The more Durbe cares for Thomas, the tighter he tangles himself in Vectors web. Unable to ever escape Vector’s grasp. Durbe is his as much as Thomas and Chris. He owns them. He won’t ever let them go. Fact.


End file.
